Colby: September (6 page)

“I see you like the fresh meat, Colby,” she sneered. It was beyond unattractive.

“Don’t be ugly, Claire.”

She bulldozed over him like she hadn’t heard him. A French-tipped nail ran down his chest. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from touching him. A small thread of revulsion crept through his veins. “Did you run out of decent women? Think she’s an easy lay? You know you could have me if you’d put a little effort in.”

“Claire, I told you, I’m not interested.” Colby dropped her hand, but she didn’t get the message.

Claire snorted, her eyes flickering down quickly. He knew she’d caught sight of Ella’s number on his arm. Though, with his luck, she’d probably been standing there watching it all go down. She reached out and ran a hand down his arm. There was a jolt of pain in his fingertips, burning a path up his arm. He pushed his own powers to the forefront, blocking whatever the hell she tried to do. Stopping the pain at his wrist. After his misstep with his first witch, he’d made it a point to learn to protect himself.

“Oh please, you mean I didn’t fall into bed with you immediately like the rest, and you didn’t know what to do. I know you’re playing hard to get. I like it.” A cruel little smile twisted her face. “I hope Ella knows to be careful. I’d hate for her to lose her job after just getting it. Not that it matters. Her true colors will show soon enough. She had to have done
something
in order to get that job. We haven’t hired anyone new since that one therapist went missing a couple years ago. I bet Ella spread those thick thighs of hers, or used magic on whoever she thought could help her out.”

Colby didn’t believe that for a second. Anyone with eyes and a lick of common sense could see Ella was as pure in heart as she was in soul. Unlike Claire. And to think they were the same breed of Mystic: Witches.

Stepping forward, he leaned into Claire’s personal space. His lips close to her ear. “I’d watch what you say about her, Claire. You know how quick rumors get started around here. How easy it would be to leak a little truth into them. I do recall you bragging on quite a few occasions about how you were able to siphon some of the life force and powers from a couple of your clients.”

Colby took a step back and left a shocked and slightly shaken Claire in his wake. He’d have to keep an eye on them both. Claire, because he was beginning to realize she was a vindictive bitch. And Ella, as much as he didn’t think she manipulated her hiring, her sudden appearance was a bit of a mystery. A happy mystery, but one that might need to be solved.

E
lla plugged
her phone into the charger and tossed her keys on the counter. She was exhausted and needed a glass of wine—badly. Even though it didn’t physically effect her, it did a damn good job of mentally soothing her. One more human trait she’d picked up over the years.

Claire had been hard on her at work. To be honest, the woman had been an absolute bitch. She sneered at Ella and had her doing all of the crappy jobs. Taking out the trash. Washing and folding all of the linens and towels. Resetting every room after the other employees were seeing their clients out. The worst had to be the demon who’d oozed toxic fumes the more he relaxed. Ella had to sweep the room with sage and clear it with a cleansing spell, all while not breathing the stench in. The mask over her face had done little to filter it out.

The people Ella
should
have seen were given to other therapists. She’d basically been demoted to slave girl. It wasn’t exactly what she’d been told she’d be doing at the spa. In fact, the way Vasilis talked, she was to jump right in with both hands, so to speak. She had enough experience under her belt to know what she was doing, and a breaking in period wasn’t warranted.

She refused to cause waves, though, and approach him about what happened. It could be Claire put her through some form of initiation. Letting her get her feet wet and pay some dues.

“Or, more likely, she was just being a complete and utter bitch.” Ella mumbled as she stripped out of her spa uniform. Padding over to her stacked washer and dryer in her bra and panties, she threw it in. There wasn’t anyone around for her to cover up for, and she loved the freedom that came with that. The comfortable warm air circulating through the room caressed her skin, sending pinpricks of sensation along her nerve endings. Threads of contentment had her sighing happily.

Popping the cork on a bottle of wine, she poured a glass, chugged it, and then poured another. She pulled out leftovers and heated them with a wave of her hand. “No need for a microwave when you like to play with fire.”

The rest of her evening was uneventful, as usual. She switched out laundry and made a mental note to order a couple more uniforms. She watched the new TV reality show
Witches vs. Wizards: Craft Showdown
while she waited for the dryer to finish
.
It wasn’t bad. Wonky spells and ridiculous situations no purveyor of magic would ever find themselves in. It passed the hour until she could crawl in bed. The morning would come soon enough, and she had a feeling the next day would be a repeat of what she’d already been through.
Jealous bitch.
If things didn’t change by the end of the week, she was damn well doing something about it.

Ella may be a healing witch, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a mean side.

E
lla was right
in her prediction of what her day would be like. Claire was on her ass as soon as Ella stepped through the door.

“Ella, you’re on time,” Claire said, a hint of sarcasm bleeding into the woman’s tone.

She glanced at the large clock over the front desk. “Right on time, as a mater of fact.”

Claire grunted. “Early is on time, on time is late, and if you’re late…don’t bother coming back. This is your one and only warning,” she sneered. The corner of her mouth lifted into a not so pretty look. Ella narrowed her eyes, and for the first time saw what she thought Claire’s real appearance was. It was gone before she could really
see
it.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that policy,” Bianca announced as she breezed through the door, interrupting Ella’s thoughts. She turned toward the dark-haired pixie and smiled. Bianca winked back.

Claire made a low irritated growling noise in her throat, glaring at Bianca. A flash of light lit from her fingers, sparking across the desk.

The pixie threw a hand up in Claire’s direction, bits of pixie dust diffusing Claire’s magic. “Oh please,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “You are
not
all that, Claire. We all got here at the same time, and you’re no better than the rest of us. Just because you
think
you’re in charge, doesn’t mean you are.”

“Why did Vasilis appoint me lead therapist, then? He knows I’m better than the rest of you. Knows I have more leadership skills and can keep you…people…in line.”

“Girl, you do
not
want me to answer that.” Bianca brushed past the desk and hooked her arm with Ella’s. They headed down into the treatment area. “Don’t let that woman get under your skin. She’s had a stick up her ass since day one. Not to mention her obsession with Colby. They went on one date. Rumor has it she thought she would be the one to tame him. But according to Connie, who works at the restaurant they went to, he wasn’t all that interested. Claire mainly talked about herself and nothing else. No man likes that. Colby’s eyes glazed over, and Connie could tell he’d checked out mentally ten minutes into the date.”

Ella snorted. “I’m not surprised. She does seem a bit self-absorbed.”

The women laughed and got to work. Ella decided she wouldn’t put up with the crap Claire pulled the day before, now that she’d talked to Bianca. Work politics and soothing ruffled feathers wasn’t in her job description. And she had a feeling Claire hid something big beneath the veneer of her polished look.

E
lla looked up
, as the door swung open, to see Colby step through. After a whirlwind morning of clients, she sat at the front desk with Aurelia, the elf who transferred from guest services to the spa the day Ella had started, learning the check-in process. A simple thing really. A hand scan that fed into the system. The therapist was notified and things went like clockwork. Thank Hecate for simplicity.

“Hey, Colby,” she smiled. A warm feeling unfurling in her chest when he smiled at her. His blue eyes twinkled. His mouth, which she was dying to have on her flesh, curved upward with pleasure.

“Hey, Ella. You busy right now?” He leaned on the counter, peering over the top.

She looked to Aurelia, who smiled softly. There was a glint in her eyes that told Ella something was afoot. A conspiracy, if she read the look right.

“Not too busy. Just learning a little about the system. I’m about to go on my lunch break.”

“What a coincidence,” he winked at Aurelia and held out his hand to Ella. “I know just the place.”

Ella slid her hand in his and walked around to meet him. He kissed the back of it before threading their fingers together.

Taking the lead, Colby guided her from the room. They headed down the hall and made their way to the Club side.

Disappointment swept through her, thinking he wanted to take her to the bar. She’d hoped for something a little different. “Where are we going?”

He grinned at her and shook his head.

“You’re being a bit mysterious, aren’t you? Or is this more obvious? I know you can order food in the Club, and while I’m not opposed to eating here, I was kind of hoping for something a little more…private.”

“We can do private.” He tugged her between the two bar stations and passed his hand over the hidden panel. The door slid open and revealed a tall café table, two matching chairs, and two silver domed meals.

“Oh!” She stopped in the doorway. Soft lighting and music filled the room. It was beyond romantic and sweet. More than she’d ever expected.

“After you.” He helped her into the chair. Removed the domes off the meals. Then took a seat.

“This is quite the elaborate set-up for an impromptu lunch.”

He shrugged, a sheepish look on his face. “I heard through the grapevine you had a bit of a bad time yesterday. I wanted to apologize about that. I know Claire can be—difficult.”

She pressed her hand to her chest in mock horror. “You mean it wasn’t some newbie initiation where I got all of the jobs everyone hates doing?”

His brows furrowed. “I didn’t know it was
that
bad.”

Her lips ticked up. An easy laugh slipped out. She covered his, where it sat on the table, with hers. “Don’t worry, I didn’t really think it was.”

He sagged a little, relief flitting across his face. “Good. I didn’t know she was as
horrible
as she was; otherwise, I never would have gone out with her. I should have known better, though, really. There is something about that woman that just isn’t right. I’ve been cursed by a witch once, didn’t plan on making it two by stretching the inevitable out with Claire.”

“Is that why it was only one date?”

A blond eyebrow shot up in surprise.

She shrugged. “Gossip. What did she do?”

“Claire?”

“No, the other witch. We’ve all agreed Claire’s a bitch, and that speaks for itself. I love a good cursing though.”

A soft chuckle escaped, tickling over her senses. He looked so relaxed and happy when he did that. And it had her smiling like a loon.

“Looking to add to your repertoire?” He teased.

Ella waved the idea away. “No. Cursing isn’t my thing. But I do have a cousin, if you’re interested.”

He shook his head. “I’m good.”

She feigned a disappointed sigh. “If you change your mind, let me know. She really knows her stuff. Now, back to this cursing.”

“You really want to know?”

“Well, yeah. The perils of dating a witch are numerous. Same goes with a warlock. That’s why I’d never date one. Or, one of the many reasons. That’s probably number five.

“I wasn’t even dating this woman, first of all. I was with someone else at the time, and she propositioned me at the bar. Offered to rub my magic,” he looked down at his lap then back up, a smirk on his face, “lamp…in exchange for three wishes.”

Ella made the mistake of taking a sip of her water at that exact moment. She choked and spit it back out. “Seriously?”

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. She wasn’t entirely sure she could take him seriously. “Yep.”

“And you weren’t interested? I mean, what’s a couple of wishes for a hand job?”

“One, dating someone already. Granted, it didn’t last very long, but still, I’m not an asshole. Two, I’m not
that
kind of genie,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion.

She was totally giddy inside hearing he wouldn’t cheat on someone, even if it wasn’t serious. Not a lot of men could say that, in her experience. The devil on her shoulder nudged her to push the issue. “Yeah, but it’s a hand job. Not many men would pass up the opportunity.”

“Then you’ve been seeing the wrong men.”

“No doubt about that. Though, I’m hoping my luck has changed.”
Really
changed. She liked Colby. The way he treated her and respected her. “Anyway, witches can be bitches when they don’t get what they want. What was the curse?” She
may
have sounded a bit too gleeful when she asked. It couldn’t be helped. She really did love curses. It was fascinating to see what people would do when they didn’t get what they wanted in life.

A pained look crossed his face, and his eyes dropped to his crotch again.

“Oh no! She didn’t.”

“She did. Couldn’t have sex for a month. Hence, why the woman I had been seeing broke up with me. She didn’t think I was being faithful, and wouldn’t believe a word about the witch and the curse. She was also human, so her knowledge about Mystics was really lacking.”

Ella wrinkled her nose. “Only a month? That’s not very long for a curse. How old was she?”

“Not sure actually. She eventually found someone else to play with. As soon as she did…”

“It was lifted,” she finished for him. “Like literally.” She suppressed the giggle attempting to escape. She cleared her throat. “There was a failsafe measure. Smart. Kept her out of trouble while still punishing you. I’ll have to mention that to my cousin, Eva.”

They spent the rest of Ella’s lunch hour talking about nothing at all, yet everything at the same time. He was an only child. Grew up in the city. Hung out at human dive bars starting at the age of fifteen. His Djinn powers coming in handy to appear older than he was. He finagled his way behind the bar, and it took off from there.

It was the best lunch hour she’d ever had. And she wanted more. More time with him. More time learning about his family. Just more of everything. She was comfortable around him and loved that feeling. His casual touches throughout the meal had her arousal slowly on the rise. She had the typical symptoms: accelerated heart rate, quickening of the blood, tight budded nipples, and throbbing low in her pussy. The slight rough texture of his fingertips over the soft skin on the back of her hand sent fissions of heat up her arms. Her brain was on sensory overload, and had she yet to get him in bed. To feel his hard, naked body press down on her.

She wanted to drag him to the bed that had never been far from her mind. But he’d been the perfect gentleman and escorted her back to the spa before she had a chance to pounce. She may need to think about some binding spells. He’d probably love being tied, either physically or magically, to the bed while she ravished him. There was a responding gleam of want in his eyes. She just needed to find a way to break him down so he would ravish her.